Logan Paul’s YouTube video leads to arrest of tiger cub owner

LOS ANGELES (KTLA/CNN) - A California man is facing criminal charges because of a tiger cub that appeared in the video of a popular social media star.

Last year, YouTuber Logan Paul posted a video that included footage of the cub.

That's when the investigation started.

The 2017 clip from Logan Paul is at the center of a new criminal case involving the illegal possession of an exotic animal - a tiger cub.

Paul, the over-the-top, controversial social media personality, visited the home of a man who had the wild animal and posted the video.

Someone alerted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the case eventually landed on the desk of Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer.

“You know exotic animals like a tiger, his is not a pet,” Feuer said. “This does not belong in your backyard. We need to be protecting - these animals are precious creatures. They’re not to be handled this way.”

Now, Nicholas Perkins, 32, is charged with several criminal counts including illegal possession of a tiger and mistreatment of a tiger.

It's unclear if he is one of the men in the YouTube clip.

He also faces one count of possession of anabolic steroids.

Perkins could spend nearly three years in jail if convicted.

“I can’t discuss too much on camera now except that we did discover evidence that suggested to us, there had been mistreatment of the animal,” Feuer said. “And we’re going to be looking forward to proving our allegations in court.”